Raspberry Pi + Arduino = $100 super PC

By Jon Brodkin

Updated 1229 GMT (1929 HKT) April 23, 2013

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UDOO, a small computer with a lot of might – The UDOO (pronounced "you do") brings together the power of four Raspberry Pi's and the popular micro-controller Arduino to create a highly customizable PC for just $100.

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Digital Androids – The UDOO board runs on Android and Linux and supports accessories and sensors such as a touch display and the RFID reader.

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Remote control – UDOO's makers say the hardware is designed to allow for easy software development and design, so that with just a few steps users can start creating their own projects -- such as this tablet controlled, camera-equipped car -- with minimum knowledge.

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For newbies and experts – The rough and ready PC can be used to teach everything from the fundamentals of software development to the most advanced areas. Users can choose the configuration that fits their level of skills and from there move forward in the direction they want.

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Programming education for kids – The board can even be used as an educational tool for children, introducing them to the basics of programming through its in-built language "Scratch4Arduino."

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Video gaming – Users can plug sensors into the Arduino board, turning it into a controller for video games, like a much cheaper, homemade Wii Balance Board.

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Digital urban furniture – Other possible UDOO applications include what its makers call "smart furniture". For instance, users are encouraged to embed sensors into home-furnishings so that they can stream radio -- allowing stations and volume to be controlled with just the swipe of a hand.

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Story highlights

UDOO seeks to combine the power of four Raspberry Pis and Arduino in a mini PC

It is intended to be a powerful prototyping board for software development and design

UDOO will be able to run with either Android or Linux

The project has received $95,000 in six days on Kickstarter

The Raspberry Pi is all the rage for hobbyists in search of cheap, credit card-sized computers that can run a full PC operating system. Arduino boards have been around nearly a decade, meanwhile, powering robots and all sorts of other creative electronics projects.

Now, a project called UDOO ("you do") seeks to bring the best elements of Raspberry Pi and Arduino together into a single mini-PC that can run either Android or Linux.

"With UDOO, we want to combine the winning characteristics of Arduino and Raspberry Pi in one single board. The simplicity of Arduino in managing sensors, combined with the flexibility of a microcomputer based on ARM are integrated in UDOO, giving you a powerful prototyping board able to run Linux or Android," UDOO project coordinator Bruno Sinopli, a Carnegie Mellon professor in electrical and computer engineering, said in a video on UDOO's Kickstarter page.

UDOO-based projects demonstrated in the video included a camera-equipped toy car controlled remotely with a tablet, programming education for kids, and a video game involving players running on equipment reminiscent of the Wii Balance Board. Touchscreens and various other types of sensors can be connected to the UDOO.

"Want to build an LED light-controller, an RFID reader, or a creative game controller? UDOO allows you to create any kind of project and share it with the community," the Kickstarter page states. "Combining the flexibility of Arduino with the power of Android or Linux, you can create and update tons of stand-alone solutions without worrying about the linking between the two worlds and their wiring."

UDOO's designers claim the board will have "the power of four Raspberry Pis," apparently in reference to the quad-core chip (the Raspberry Pi uses a single-core). The UDOO also has twice as much RAM (1GB) and Gigabit Ethernet as opposed to the Pi's 100 Megabit Ethernet. The Raspberry Pi has the UDOO beat on price, though, with models selling for $25 or $35.